1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus of the type in which recording paper is displaced by rotating a platen roller while it is clamped between the recording head and the platen roller and recording is effected on the recording paper by means of the recording head during displacing of the recording paper. Further, the present invention relates also to a method of transporting recording paper.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known, a recording apparatus of the type using a roll of recording paper is so constructed that recording is effected on recording paper unrolled from the roll by means of a recording head. After completion of the recording operation of the recording paper is transported further until the rearmost end of a part of the recording paper on which recording has been effected moves past a cutter and thereafter a cutting operation is performed at the rearmost end of the recorded part of the recording paper. The renewed foremost end of the recording paper formed after completion of cutting operation is then caused to move back to the recording head. This is because of the fact that when the next recording operation is initiated while the recording paper is held in the cut-off state, the foremost end part of the recording paper, that is, the part extending between the cutter and the recording head is kept out of recording, resulting in the part of the recording paper becoming wasted. It should be noted that the foremost end part of the recording paper which has been displaced backwardly to the recording head is held in the slackened state in the area extending between the recording head and the recording paper roll.
Further, the recording apparatus of the abovementioned type using a roll of recording paper includes a casing frame and a cover frame both of which constitute an apparatus frame, and the cover frame is turnably supported in the casing frame while a platen roller is rotatably held in the cover frame. When a malfunction of clogging with recording paper takes place, the platen roller is parted away from the recording head and thereby the passage of transportation of the recording paper inclusive the recording head is exposed to the outside so as to easily remove clogged recording paper.
Incidentally, the platen roller in the conventional recording apparatus as constructed in the above-described manner is made of silicon rubber or the like material having an excellently high heat resistivity. For the reason it is liable to be charged with static electricity.
When the cover frame is turned upwardly so as to allow the recording paper passage to be exposed to the outside for the purpose of maintenance service or the like, the recording paper is raised up together with the platen roller while its fore end part is stuck to the latter under the influence of static electricity and thereafter it is parted from the platen roller when the slackened part thereof is fully stretched. Then, the recording paper falls down toward the recording paper transportation passage under the effect of gravity force of the recording paper itself but is is sometimes found that the fore end part of the recording paper is entangled with cutter, casing frame or the like in the course of falling-down. If the cover frame is restored to the original position without any corrective operation performed to eliminate the entangled state, it results that paper clogging takes place immediately after the platen roller is rotated.